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Chelsea vs Real Madrid match preview: UCL quarterfinal first leg

By ROSHAAN KAPOOR

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 22: The club badges of Real Madrid and Chelsea on their first team home shirts ahead of their UEFA Champions League semi final on April 22, 2021 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 22: The club badges of Real Madrid and Chelsea on their first team home shirts ahead of their UEFA Champions League semi final on April 22, 2021 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 05: Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea FC competes for the ball with Karim Benzema of Real Madrid during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final Second Leg match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge on May 05, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around Europe remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 05: Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea FC competes for the ball with Karim Benzema of Real Madrid during the UEFA Champions League Semi Final Second Leg match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge on May 05, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around Europe remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Pedro Salado/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /

Chelsea team news

From the humiliating defeat to Brentford came only one positive, this was the fact that there are no new injuries in the Chelsea squad. All of the changes that were made during the game by Tuchel were purely tactical as the Blues chased a result. This includes the exclusion of Trevoh Chalobah from the starting line-up. The only absentees that Chelsea fans can expect from the team on Wednesday will be Ben Chilwell and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who is suffering from both an Achilles knock and lower back problems. The former remains sidelined for the remainder of the year as he continues to rehab his ACL after a scary knee injury.

Reece James got a good 40 minutes of action under his belt against Brentford, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the English international start the first leg against Los Blancos in west London midweek. Christian Pulisic didn’t feature at all during the weekend due to jet lag and fatigue, so expect the American to make an appearance, as well. Hopefully the Blues also revert back to the preferred formation featuring three at the back and play with two strikers, rather than one, with the change of formation not working against Brentford.

Real Madrid team news

After an encouraging return to their campaign on the other side of the international break, Los Blancos also got good news in the form of players like Karim Benzema and Ferland Mendy returning to the starting XI. Both players had been suffering from muscle injuries that ruled them out of El Classico before the two-week break. The duo appeared to be fully fit against Celta Vigo, which means they’ll be ready to go against the Blues.

Eder Militao was forced off with a knock in the final minutes of Real Madrid’s win against the same opponent, but now it is being reported the Brazilian international will be fit to face Chelsea. The only confirmed absentee for Real Madrid will be former Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard, who recently went picked up an ankle injury. He is recovering from surgery right now. Meanwhile, Isco is another player who is doubtful for the game. He will have to be assessed by the manager closer to kickoff on Wednesday.

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